ATHLETIC BIOGRAPHY

ZINEDINE ZIDANE

 In the final of the 2006 World Cup, in the quarter-final France against Italia, a French soccer player slammed his head into the Italian player Marco Materazzi. At that moment he was not admonished, but the goalkeeper argued to the referee why he had not admonished the French player for his indisputable fault, but the Italian fanatics screamed that he must admonish the player, and of the French fanatics were shouting that there is not fault. They formed a discussion between players and the referee, until finally the referee decided the French player must receive a red card, and this player was Zinedine Zidane.

Zinedine Zidane started playing soccer at the age of 5 years old, since then, he fell in love with sport. Zinedine was born on June 23, 1972, in Marseilla, France. Being son of Algerian immigrants, his father name was Smail and his mother name was Malika .   He learned to play soccer in his Childhood and started to play  with US Saint Heri from La Castallane with the junior squared, from 1982-1983. After two years he played for SO septemes  valons from 1983 to 1986.

In his adolescence and most of his life, he made his professional debut with Cannes, on May 18, 1989. At the age of seventeen in First League, Zidane was transferred to Girondins de Bordeaux in the 1992–1993 season. Winning the 1995 Intertoto Cup, and finishing runner-up in the 1995–1996 UEFA Cup in four years with the club.

 In 1996, Zidane moved to UEFA Champions League winners Juventus for a fee of £3.2 million and won the 1996–1997 Serie A and the 1996 Intercontinental Cup.

In 2001, Zidane joined Real Madrid for a world record fee of 150 billion Italian lire, about €75 million and he signed a four-year contract. The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the first World Cup that Zidane participated in. Two years later, France won Euro 2000, becoming the first team to hold both the World Cup and the European Championship since West Germany in 1974.

After his retirement on June, 2009, Zidane was announced as the Advisor to the President of Real Madrid for the second time.  In November 2010, Zidane was appointed as a special adviser to Real Madrid.

Nowadays he is a retired player that is known as one of the best soccer player. He is married with Veronique Fernandez and they have four children.  Without any doubt, Zinedine Zidane is one of the best players in soccer’s history, I chose him because he is a well-known soccer player in France and around the world. He is one of the 25 best soccer player of the list of Pelé and his career is not over, he continues being a character that is still alive and it is expected more from him. His son Enzo Zidane Fernández inherited the same love for the soccer, who may follow his steps.

By Flor de María de Benítez Portillo.